Elon Musk’s Boring Company has released a map of its proposed tunnel system beneath Los Angeles, revealing new details on the route that could slash commuting times throughout the city.

As expected, the main stretch of the tunnel could follow roughly the same path as Interstate 405, potentially stretching about 40 miles north to south to connect Sherman Oaks and Long Beach Airport.

The concept map indicates there could also be several smaller arms branching off to the east and west, with stops at Santa Monica, LAX, Echo Park, and several other locations.

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Elon Musk’s Boring Company has released a map of its proposed tunnel system beneath Los Angeles, revealing new details on the route that could slash commuting times throughout the city. Blue shows the concept routes, while red indicates the Phase 1 proof of concept

BORING COMPANY

Elon Musk has outlined how his Boring Company will work, claiming:

Tunneling costs must be reduced by a factor of more than 10

Key to this is smaller tunnels that can be dug more quickly

Will work to increase the speed of the Tunnel Boring Machine

Envisions a new breed of smaller, more powerful boring machines, with triple the power of current devices, that can tunnel continuously

So far, the majority of the proposed routes remain in the concept phase.

These branches are shown in blue on the map, and indicate the potential expansion options the system could pursue.

The route illustrated in red shows the Phase 1 proof-of-concept, for which the company recently filed an excavation permit application.

This covers a small 6.5 mile stretch from West LA through Culver City, stopping just before Inglewood.

‘The tunnel would be used for construction logistics verification, system testing, safety testing, operating procedure verification, and line-switching demonstrations,’ the firm notes.

‘Phase 1 would not be utilized for public transportation until the proof-of-concept tunnel is deemed successful by County government, City government, and The Boring Company.’

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Musk's ambitious plan to dig a tunnel beneath LA could vastly improve the daily commute for thousands of people in the city.

And, it's likely no one will benefit more than Musk himself.

The project is expected to pass right by both the SpaceX headquarters and Musk's Bel Air properties, according to Fast Company.

Musk was vocal about his disdain for LA's notorious traffic at the start of the project, which he launched in effort to solve the ongoing problem.

The starting point sits near the SpaceX headquarters because the company owns the land, and could immediately begin digging there, a spokesperson said. Musk also owns $70 million worth of property nearby in Bel Air - with five homes all within walking distance of each other

The project is expected to run from Westwood to LAX – passing right by both the SpaceX headquarters and Musk's Bel Air properties (circled). Musk owns 5 homes in Bel Air

The tunnel could cut the hour-long trip down to just six minutes.

However, a spokesperson for The Boring Company told DailyMail.com the route was chosen to follow the 405 - which is one of the world's most congested roads.

'The goal of The Boring Company is to reduce soul-destroying traffic and maximize public happiness,' he said.

'This first proposed Los Angeles route along the 405 was chosen not for one person's convenience, but because the 405 is one of the most congested freeways in the world.

'We expect this route to be the first segment of an expansive 3D network of public transportation tunnels in Los Angeles and in many other cities around the world.'

Last month, the Boring Co applied to build the second segment of the tunnel.

Elon Musk recently shared a photo of the traffic-busting tunnel that will allow Los Angeles commuters to zip under the city at 150mph (240kph). The 150-metre (500ft) shaft 'should be 2 miles [3.2km] long in three or four months', he said

While the ambitious plan has begun to come to life in a relatively short period after it was first devised, there have been numerous hurdles along the way – and there will likely be more.

One such hurdle is permission.

It might seem strategic that the project aligns with Musk's $70 million Bel Air properties, but the firm says this has nothing to do with its location.

Instead, the starting point sits near the SpaceX headquarters because the company owns the land, and could immediately begin digging there, a spokesperson told Fast Company.

While many derided his plan to build a traffic tunnel under LA, Musk appears to be steadily moving forward.

An Arial view of heavy traffic moves along Interstate 405 highway in Los Angeles, Musk hopes people will soon be able to take his tunnel instead

THE BORING COMPANY'S TUNNEL

In August, it was reported that Elon Musk's firm would build a two-mile-long test tunnel in Los Angeles, after the City Council voted four to one in favour of his ambitious plans.

The extension will run 13.5 metres (44 feet) under public roads around the SpaceX headquarters, and is the first time the Boring Company has been allowed to dig outside it's property line.

This dry run will make sure plans actually work - if it doesn't, the city can request the tunnel is filled with concrete or soil.

'They won't even know we're there', Brett Horton, senior director of facilities and construction at SpaceX assured members of the council.

'This is groundbreaking, this is establishing a precedent, and I think we all agree that we want to make sure that this goes off without a hitch,' Hawthorne's Mayor Alex Vargas said.

The company assured citizens that if the soil moves by as little as half an inch, work will stop immediately.

Musk has since posted his plans to Instagram: 'First route will go roughly parallel to the 405 from LAX to [Highway] 101, with on/offramps every mile or so,' he wrote in October.

'It will work like a fast freeway, where electric skates carrying vehicles and people pods on the main artery travel at up to 150mph [240 kph], and the skates switch to side tunnels to exit and enter.

'This is a big difference compared to subways that stop at every stop, whether you're getting off or not.'

His Boring Co. applied for an excavation permit to extend its electric-vehicle tunnel in Hawthorne into Los Angeles, connecting the South Bay, Westside and San Fernando Valley, city officials said, according to Daily Breeze.

When Musk first announced his plans to bore a tunnel to his SpaceX offices in Los Angeles, it was hard to know if he was joking

Although the city's Bureau of Engineering did not release details of the permit request, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has supported the plan.

The application is consistent with Musk's announcement in an October tweet that he planned to extend the tunnel 'from LAX to the 101.'

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti expressed early support for the idea.

'Los Angeles has always been a place where innovators come to build new ideas that can change how we live our lives,' Garcetti tweeted.

'We look forward to continuing our conversations about this new transportation technology, and exploring the ways that it can help us build a better future for our city.'

Musk recently shared the first ever photo of the traffic-busting tunnel that will allow Los Angeles commuters to travel under the city at 150mph (240kph).

As well as new images of his initial tunnel, Musk also laid out where the track would run under the city (pictured). The SpaceX and Tesla founder came up with the idea for the tunnelling firm while frustrated at being stuck in heavy LA traffic

The tech boss took to social media in August to share progress on his traffic-beating tunnel beneath Los Angeles, revealing it is now big enough to fit a Tesla Model S. Pictured is a test tunnel

The 150-metre (500ft) shaft, excavated by the billionaire's tunnel-digging firm The Boring Company, 'should be 2 miles [3.2km] long in three or four months', he said.

SpaceX has also previously received the green light to extend the tunnel by 2 miles in Hawthorne toward the Los Angeles International Airport.

Last month, Musk said that the new section of the tunnel would be completed in '3 to 4 months':

The SpaceX and Tesla founder came up with the idea for the tunnelling firm while frustrated at being stuck in heavy LA traffic.

MUSK'S 'BORING' PLAN

When Musk first announced his plans to bore a tunnel to his SpaceX offices in Los Angeles, it was hard to know if he was simply venting his frustrations about being stuck in traffic.

'Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging...', he tweeted in December last year.

He ended his rant on the social media site with: 'I am actually going to do this'.

The billionaire first tweeted a picture of his firm's boring machine back in February with the caption 'Minecraft' - a reference to the popular video game in which players dig large tunnel networks for resources.

Many have speculated that Musk will use his Boring Company to build tunnels for Hyperloop transportation systems - either for other firms or his own venture.

When he first revealed the plan in a white paper developed with his team at SpaceX, in 2012, he said he would let others build the system.

'I don't have any plan to execute because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla,' he said in a conference call at the time.

But in August it appeared Musk would build his own hyperloop tunnel system in a bid to speed up adoption of the radical travel technology he invented.

According to reports from a 'person close to Musk,' it appears the billionaire will build the whole system himself.

Musk also hinted at it, replying to a tweet about the issues facing the various Hyperloop plans by saying 'I guess a proof of concept is needed.'

Many have speculated that Musk will use his Boring Company to build tunnels for Hyperloop transportation systems - either for other firms or his own venture.

When he first revealed the plan in a white paper developed with his team at SpaceX, in 2012, he said he would let others build the system.

'I don't have any plan to execute because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla,' he said in a conference call at the time.

But in August it appeared Musk would build his own hyperloop tunnel system in a bid to speed up adoption of the radical travel technology he invented.

According to reports from a 'person close to Musk,' it appears the billionaire will build the whole system himself.